Web-folding machine.



No. 706,862. 'Patented Aug. l2, I902.

B. G. SEYMOUR. WEB FOLDING MACHINE. [Application filed Aug. 4, 1898,) (No Model.) 4 sheets'sheat ATTORNEY ggummlmmmn lmmuu S Q gsww #llllllll flllilllllll! Q wwE E 1,

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5. c. SEYMOUR. WEB FOLDING MAGHiNE.

(Application filed Aug. 4, 1898.)

(No Model) 4 Sheats-Shaat 2.

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WITNESSES 143 ff R. C. SEYMOUR.

WEB FOLDING MACHINE.

Patented Aug. l2, I902.

(Application filed Aug. 4, 1898.) v

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(No Model.)

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ATTORNEY No. 706,862. Patented Aug. 12, I902.

R. C.- SEYMOUR.

WEB'FOLDING MACHINE.

(Application filed Aug. 4, 1898.)

4 Shear-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

Tm: room PcTEqs do. Pumou ma" wnsummo UNITE Starts RALPH O. SEYMOUR, OF NEWV YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO O. B. OOTTRELL dc SONS CO.; OF JERSEY CITY, NEXV JERSEY, AND STONINGTON, CONNECTI- OUT,A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.'

. EB-FOLDING MACHINE.

SFECIFICATI ON fOrming part of Letters Patent N0. 7O6,862, dated August 12, 1902. Application filed August 4, 189 8. Serial No. 687,730. (No model.)

To all, whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH (J. SEYMOUR, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the borough of Manhattan, in the city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Vt eb-Folding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly to IO folding-machines for use inconnection with web-perfecting printing-presses, and has for its general object to improve this class of apparatuses and to provide means whereby rapidly-running webs of paper may be successfully out into sheets or sections of given size and either cross-folded singly or cross folded after the superposing of one sheet upon another on the surface of a collecting and folding cylinder.

My invention has for a further object to provide a construction of folding-machine for webs of paper in which the grippers or equivalent grasping means of the foldingcylinder-are adapted to seize the leading end of the web before the foremost or head sheet thereof is detached from the body of the web, and thusavoid the use of tapes for increas, ing the speed of the foremost sheet of the web and detaching it from the body of the 0 web after the operation thereupon of serrated cutters, which do not entirely out off the sheet, and for then conducting the detached sheet to the folding-cylinder, as in previous machines. 5 My invention has for a further object to run the cutting mechanism, the web, and the folding-cylinder all at the same surface speed and my invention has for a further object to provide means for tucking or directing the head of the sheet or web positively into the grasp of the grippers on the folding or carrying cylinder.

To these main ends my invention consists in the various features of construction and 5 combinations of devices and parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a folding apparatus embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section taken on the line or of Fig. l and looking in the direction of the arrow thereat and showing also a section of the last impression-cylinder of a webprinting' press with which my improved folding apparatus is combined. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the folding apparatus looking from the right-hand side of Fig. 1. Fig. 4c is a partial longitudinal vertical section taken at the dotted line y of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrow thereat; and Figs. 5 to 11, inclusive, are diagrammatic views illustrating the mode of operation of some of the folding apparatus. y 6 In the various views the same part will be found designated by the same numeral of reference. 1

1 represents the last impression-cylinder of a webperfecting press, and 2 the printed web emerging therefrom on its way to the folding apparatus associated with or forming a part of said press. The plates are so set or arranged upon the type-cylinders of the press as that the column-rules run parallel with the axis of the printing-cylinder or are disposed at right angles to the directionof travel of the web. The printed web is preferably creased transversely centrally of the margins that are to be folded by means of a pair of creasing-rollers 3 and 4, the latter being provided with a longitudinally-arranged creasing-blade 5 and the former with disks 10. A set of endless tapes or bands 11 pass around the under side of the roller 7, over the rollers 8 and 9, around the roller or disks 10, and upwardly over a tension-roller 12, 5 mounted in a pivoted arm 13 at the top of the framework 14. These tapes or bands are arranged to travel on top of the web and 011 the longitudinal margins thereof, and moving at a slightly-greater velocity than the web serve to assist in the proper feeding of the same to the cutting, collecting, and folding devices to be presently described. The rollers 7 and 8 are geared together to work in unison, as are also the feed-rollers 9 and 10.

Over the roller 8 is arranged a paste-blade 15, mounted on rotatory arms or carriers 16, attached to a shaft 17. Above the pastingblade is a paste-fountain 18, containing a roller 19, that revolves in the fountain and takes paste therefrom in a manner to supply the paste-blade with a sufficient quantity of paste at each revolution of said blade, the edge of the blade wiping or scraping upon the periphery of the roller 19, and thereby taking upon itself a portion of the paste on said roller. The pasting-blade delivers the paste thus obtained to the transverse margin of every second sheet of the printed web when said blade meets the paper as it is travelingover the top of the roller 8. Upon every alternate sheet thus supplied with a line of paste is superposed a non-pasted sheet, as will hereinafter appear.

Arranged under the pair of feed-rollers 9 and 10 is-a guideway for the web composed, preferably, of a vertically-arranged plate 20, extending substantially entirely across the machine, and a series of vertically-arranged fingers 21, whose faces are parallel with the face of the plate 20. The guide-plate is supported by end brackets 22, which are slotted to permit the plate to be adjusted slightly toward or from the set of guide-fingers 21. The guide-fingers 21 are mounted upon a rod 23, extending across the machine and suitably supported in the framework thereof, and said fingers are or may be made to slide endwise on said rod, so as to register with the longitudinal margins of the web.

Beneath the guideway is a cutting mechanism consisting, primarily, of two obliquely or diagonally arranged cutting-blades 26 and 27 of the character and general construction shown and described in the patent to O. B. Oottrell dated October 30, 1588, and numbered 391,949. blades may be mounted upon complete cylinders or rolls; but I prefer to mount them upon skeleton rolls or cylinders consisting of a series of disks 28, mounted on shafts or axes 29, revolving in suitable bearings in the framework, and to arrange said cutters or shearing-blades lengthwise of said shafts, but out of parallelism therewith and in such manner, as described in the said patent, as that by the rotation of said shafts said blades are brought into cooperative relation to gradually eut or sever the web transversely with a clean shearing cut at right angles to the edges of the web and during the travel of the web. The shafts of the cutters are geared together to rotate in unison. Below the cutters is another guideway, composed of a series of fingers 30, having vertical faces and lateral lugs by which said fingers are mounted on a crossrod 31, and of a series of vertically-arranged These cutting or shearingguide-strips 32, extending across the machine with their faces parallel with the faces on the fingers 30. Formed integral with said guidestrips 32 and at an angle thereto is another series of guide-strips 33. Both series of guides 32 33 are supported upon a cross-rod 34. The faces of said strips 33 are arranged concentric with the collecting-cylinder 35 and form a guide therewith for the paper thereon.

Below the guideway formed by the parts and 32 is a rotary tucker 36, composed, preferably, of a series of disks 37, mounted on a cross-shaft 38, that is suitably supported in bearings in the framework. Each of said disks is cutaway at one portion, as at 39, and is provided with a tucking nose or projection 40. While I prefer to construct the rotary tucker of a series of disks or of skeleton form, it will be understood, of course, that it may be made of a continuous cylinder or roll as long as it has the cut-away portion and the tucking nose or projection. The shaft of the rotary tucker is geared to the rotary collecting or gathering and folding cylinder 35.

Below the rotary tucker and adjacent to the periphery of the collecting-cylinder is a pair of folding-rollers 41, provided with carrying-tapes 42 for conducting the folded papers from the folding-rollers either to another set of folding-rollers or to any suitable delivery mechanism, according to the nature of the work being done.

The collecting-cylinder is proportioned in size to the sizes of the sheets to be foldedthat is to say, the circumference of the collecting-cylinder is made exactly to equal in length the length of a plurality of sheets to be folded, or, in other words, it bears such a relation to the length of the sheets that a plurality of the sheets will exactly fill or equal the periphery of the cylinder. In the example shown the periphery. of the cylinder is exactly three times the length of each sheet to be folded; but this proportion may be varied without departing from the gist of this part of my invention.

In the machine shown the collecting-cylinder is provided with three sets of grippers 43,

44, and 45 and with three folding-blades 46, 47, and 48, arranged alternately of the sets of grippers. Any suitable cams or actuating devices may be employed to properly open and close the grippers and to properly operate the folding-blades.

I shall now describe the mode of operation of the machine and point out more fully the main distinctive features of my invention and explain the results accom plished thereby. As the web of paper leaves the printing-machine p'roper it passes first between the pair of creasing-rollers 3 and 4, and each transverse margin that is to be folded is creased by said rollers. The web then passes between the rollers 7 and 8 and under the tension or carrying tapes 11 and between the pair of feed-rolls 9 and 10, by which and by the said tapes the web is then directed vertically downward through the first guideway to the cutting mechanism, the disks of which may also operate to feed the web downwardly to and through the second guideway to the grippers of the collecting-cylinder. Assuming the leading end of the web to have been properly led down by hand to the collectingcylinder, when the machine is started the following operations take place: The leading end of the web is caught by the first set of grippers 43 and begins to travel with the collecting-cylinder. Soon thereafter the cutters operate to sever the first sheet, which remains on the collecting-cylinder until it comes around again in alinement with the folding-rollers 41, when it and subsequentlysuperposed sheet are together folded into the bite of said rollers. \Vhile said first sheet is traveling around with the collecting-cylinder the second set of grippers 44 grasps the head of the second sheet, which is presently detached from the web by the cutters, and the said second sheet travels around with the collecting-cylinder until its creased margin comes opposite the bite of the folding-rollers 41, whereupon the folding-blade 47 doubles the said single second sheet into the bite of said rollers. After this initial operation of the machine the folding-blades as they successively register with the folding rolls always fold or double two superposed sheets at a time into the bite of said folding-rollers. At Fig. 5 the leading end of the first sheet of the web is shown as having been caught by the first set of grippers 43. At Fig. 6 this first sheet t is shown as having been detached from the web, and at Figs. 7 and 8 said sheet a is shown as still upon the surface of the collecting-cylinder, while at Fig. 9 it will be seen that the said sheet is being doubled with another sheet a into the bite of the folding-rollers. By referring to Fig. 0 it will be seen that the second set of grippers 44 have seized the leading end of the second sheet while it is intact with the web, and this second sheet I) is shown at Fig. 7 as being immediately doubled into the bite of the folding-rollers 41 while the first sheet is still on the collecting-cylinder. Before the first sheet (6 gets around to the place at which the collecting cylinder receives the web the third set of grippers 45 will have been opened and will have taken the next or third sheet 0 of the web, which is detached, as before, and remains on the collecting-cylinder, like the first sheet (t, for a full revolution and one-sixth of a revolution of said cylinder. Just before the first set of grippers 43 reach the receivingpoint of the collecting cylinder they are opened, and at the proper time they receive the leading end of the next or fourth sheet a, still integral with the web, and since the first sheet controlled by the set of grippers 43 is still upon the cylinder it follows that the said fourth sheet will be superposed upon the said first sheet, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, and as soon as the grippers 43 close they will carry both said sheets around one-sixth of a revolution or until the margins upon which they are to be folded register with the bite of the folding-rollers 41, when the foldingblade 46 will double said superposed sheets into the bite of said rollers, as represented at Fig. 9. During this superposing operation no sheet is in the grasp of the grippers 44; but the sheet 0 is still in the grasp of the grippers 45 on the opposite side of the cylinder. When the grippers 44 arrive at the receiving-point, they seize the leading end of the web again and at the proper time a sheet is detached, as before, and this sheet I) is carried around upon the surface of the collecting-cylinder in the space between the sets of grippers 44 and 45 and past the folding rollers 41, as shown at Figs. 10 and 11, since at this time and on this section of the cylinder there is only a single sheet, and two superposed sheets must now always be delivered to the folding'rollers. When the grippers 45, carrying the sheet 0, arrive at the receiving-point of the cylinder, they are open, and the next sheet a on the web is superposed upon the sheet 0, the grippers closing at the proper time and carrying these two sheets around together to the folding-rollers, into whose bite they are doubled by the folding-blade 48, as shown at Fig. 11. \Vhile this is taking place the grippers 43 take a new sheet a for the blank space existing between the grippers 43 and 44, and this sheet is carried around, as illustrated at Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, until another sheet ct is associatedwith it, and they then are together folded into the folding-rollers, as shown at Fig. 9. When the grippers 44, controlling the sheet I), again come around to the receiving-point, they receive another sheet and then close and carry the two sheets around to the folding-rollers, into whose bite they are forced by the folding-blade 47.

It will be seen from the foregoing and from the drawings that when the machine is running regularly each set of grippers acts first to seize a single sheet and carry it around with the collecting-cylinder for one full revolution, when a second sheet is then superposed upon said first sheet and the grippers are caused to carry around both said sheets, one on top of the other, for about one-sixth of a revolution, whereupon the folding-blade associated with said set of grippers then acts to double the two collected sheets into the bite of the folding-rollers, from which the folded product of, say, eight pages may be conveyed to any suitable delivery mechanism, or if the product is to have more than eight pages it may be carried to another set of folding-rollers to be again doubled, and so on. It will also be seen that there are three sets of grippers and that every other set of grippers takes a single sheet clear around with the cylinder and that the associating, collecting, or superposing is performed alternately. Otherwise stated, each set of: grippers first carries a single sheet one whole revolution of the cylinder, then carries two superposed sheets for part of a revolution of the cylinder, and then releases both sheets and travels the remainder of the revolution without having any sheet at all. The sheets that lie next to the surface of the collecting-cylinder may be designated as the inner sheets and the superposed sheetsastheoutersheets. Every inner sheet travels entirely around with the cylinder, and at the completion of one revolution of the latter an outer sheet is associated with an inner sheet. Every outer sheet travels only one-sixth of a revolution of the cylinder, for when the associated inner and outer sheets arrive at the folding-rollers 41 they are folded into the bite of said rollers and are taken away from said cylinder. This leaves the cylinder blank or sheetless at this locality for the remaining fivesixths of its revolution. The set of grippers immediately following that set of grippers which releases an inner and outer superposed sheet to the folding-rollers always approaches the receiving-point without any sheet; but

the grippers of said set on their arrival at said receiving-point always take the next sheet of the web, and as said sheet lies next to the surface of said cylinder it will be carried around by said grippers for a full revolution of said cylinder, when said grippers will receive an outer sheet and will carry the said inner and outer sheets around to the folding-rollers, as before explained. There is always an inner sheet in the grasp of the set of grippers preceding or in advance of the set of grippers which releases an inner and outer sheet to the folding-rollers, and hence when this preceding set of grippers arrives at the receiving-point an outer sheet is taken thereby and then the inner and outer sheets are delivered to the folding-rollers in the manner before described with reference to the other sets of grippers. It will thus be seen that each set of grippers is at one time withoutany sheet; next, that said set of grippers have in their grasp one sheet, and finally that they have in their grasp two sheets, and that when such two sheets have been carried around opposite to the folding-rollers the grippers are opened and the associated folding-blade doubles the said sheets into the bite of said folding-rollers. It will also be seen that in consequence of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the grippers and folding-blades every second or alternate set of grippers releases two superposed sheets to said folding-rollers.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11, it will be seen that in Fig. 8 the grippers 44 are without any sheet, and that the grippers 45 have an inner sheet in their grasp, and that the grippers 43 have an'inner sheet and are taking on an outer sheet; that in Fig. 9 the grippers 43 have released the two sheets to the folding-rollers and in consequence must make the remainder of the revolution without any sheet,that the grippers 45 have one sheet in their grasp, and that the grippers 44, which traveled around without any sheet, are now grasping a sheet; that in Fig. 10 the single sheet in the grasp of the grippers 44 is passing by the folding-rollers, that the grippers 43 are still without any sheet, and that the grippers 45 are taking on an outside sheet, and that in Fig. 11 the grippers 45 have released the said two sheets to the folding-rollers, that the grippers 44 still have in their grasp a single sheet which passed by the foldin g-rollers inthe previous figure, and that the grippers 43 are now taking hold of a single or inner sheet. Thus it will be seen that every second set of grippers releases two sheets to the folding-rollers, also that one section of the cylinder first approaches the receiving-point bare or without any sheet, that the succeeding section approaches such point with a single or inner sheet, and that the third section comes around to the receiving-point sheetless; but as each of the three sections arrives at the receiving-point its controllinggrippers take the free end of the web, (whether such section be bare or have an inner sheet thereupon,) and as every alternate section approaching the receiving-point contains an inner sheet it follows that an outer sheet will be alternately superposed upon an inner sheet and these two sheets of every alternate section are delivered to the folding-rollers, as above described. From the foregoing it follows also that the folding-blades operate only at every second revolution of the cylinder. The grippers of each set, whether they have a sheet or not, are opened before they arrive at the tucker, preferably at about the point marked 0, and are not closed again until after the leading end of the web has come in between their points and the cylinder, so that it may be positively grasped. In order that the inner sheets upon the collecting-cylinder may not lose their proper relationship to the latter and to their controllinggrippers when the latter have been opened,

a feed-roller or series of disks 49 is provided v to run in contact with the sheet at the same surface speed as thecylinder, and hence keep said sheet traveling properly relatively to said cylinder, and for the purpose of holding the leading end of said sheet properly down upon the surface of said cylinder, or, in other words, from flapping, the curved guides or arms 33 are provided. In addition to said guides there are other guides 33, fixed below the under side of the collecting-cylinder.

The tucker-disks are arranged in alinement with the gripper-fingers, and are cut away, as at 39, to accommodate the points of the previously-opened grippers and to enable said grippers to vibrate in the closing operations. The grippers preferably remain open until their points have arrived about on the horizontal line of the axis or shaft 38 of the tucker-cylinder, (or tucker-disks,) or to about the position shown at Fig. 5. Meanwhile the roasea nose or projection 40 of said cylinder (or of each disk) approaches the surface of the collecting-cylinder and, ifnecessary, forces ordirects the leading end of a sheet between the points of said grippers and the surface of said collecting-cy-"linder and holds it there until the grippers close on said sheet. The tucker also operates positively to break any connection that may exist between the tail of one sheet and the head of the next, due to any imperfect action of the cutting mechanism, the tucker working in opposition to the open grippers acting to disrupt any fibrous or ligamentous connection between the sheets and force the leading end of the web against the surface of the cylinder while the tail of the preceding sheet is held off by the open grippers. Thus the leading end of each sheet of the web is positively tucked or held in between the collecting cylinder and the grippers and can never flap or slide down on top of or on the outer sides of said grippers, and thus fail of seizure thereby, as might readily occur without the use of this tucking device. The surface of the collecting-cylinder being in length exactly equal to the lengths of three sheets without allowance for the several sets of grippers, the tail or rear end of each sheet will overlap or lie upon the grippers of the set immediately behind that set which is in possession of said sheet, and hence wh en said rear set of grippers is opened at the receiving-point the tail end of the preceding sheet is slightly elevated or moved away from the plane of rotation of the collecting-cylinder.

By proportioning the circumference of the collecting-cylinder to the length of the sheets, so that a plurality, as three, of the sheets will exactly fill or equal the periphery of the cylinder without extra space for the grippers and by running the web of paper, the cutters, and the collecting-cylinder at the same surface speed, I am enabled to provide that each set of grippers shall always have a sheet in its grasp before it is cut off from the web, which is a desideratum of the greatest importance.

The grippers, the folding-blades, and the means for properly operating the same may be of any given or suitable construction and specifically form no part of my present invention. The gripper and folding-blade operating means illustrated are of conventional or familiar construction, and hence do not need any particularly full description. designates the shafts or axes of the several sets of grippers, and 51 the shafts or axes of the several folding-blades. Each shaft 50 is provided at one end with oppositely-projecting crank-arms 52 and 53, the latter being furnished with an antifriction-roll 54, which latter at the proper time is acted upon by a fixed cam to effect the opening and closing of the grippers attached to said shaft. To

the arm 52 is pivotally attached one end of a rod 56, whose opposite end is supported by the end or head of the collecting-cylinder,

and surrounding said rod is a coiled spring 57, that presses said rod in the direction of the arm 52, and thereby tends to keep the roller 54: against the face of the cam 55. During the rotation of the collecting-cylinder each roller 54 as it comes around strikes the fixed cam at about the point 55 and as the roller rides up the cam the shaft 50 is rocked and the grippers are opened. WVhen the grippers have been fully opened, the roller 54 then travels upon a straight or dwell portion 55 of said cam, and the grippers remain open sufficiently long to enable the head of the web to get between the points of the grippers and the surface of the collectingcylinder, when said grippers then close by reason of the travel of the roller 54 down on the'opposite side 55" of the fixed. cam, the spring 57 rocking the arms 52 and 53 and the shaft 50 and causing the roller 54 to run in contact with said face 55. The grippers now remain closed until they again come around to the is driven by a gear 61 on the shaft or axis of the collectingcylinder. The rotating cam 58 acts only on every second set of grippers, at which time, as before explained, two superposed sheets are released to the foldingrollers.

Each folding-blade shaft is provided at one end with two oppositely-projecting arms 62 and 63, provided, respectively, with rollers 64 and 65, which are acted upon by a camslot 66 and by a flying cam 67, mounted on a shaft or axis 68, supported in the side frame of the machine, the cam being at the inner end of the shaft and rotating in a plane between the end of the folding-cylinder and the inner side of the side frame of the machine and in position to act alternately upon the rollers 64E and 65 to direct them into the slot 66 in the circular cam-fixture 69, which is fastened to the inner side of the framework beyond the end of the folding-cylinder, as seen at Fig. 1. The shafts 70 and 71 of the folding-rollers preferably pass through holes in an extension of the cam-fixture 69, and one of said shafts 70 is preferably journaled in the framework,while the other one, 71, is journaled in a pivoted arm or lever 72, provided with a spring 73, whereby the folding-roller carried by this shaft is yieldingly supported so as to accommodate varying thicknesses of paper passing between the said folding-roller, the hole in the extension of the cam-fixture through which the shaft 71 passes being slightly elongated to permit of this action. The flying-cam shaft oraxis makes three revolutions to every one revolution of the foldingcylinder and acts to give each folding-blade shaft or axis a half-revolution as it passes said flying cam. Inasmuch as there is a foldingblade on one side only of its shaft or axis it follows that each folding-blade must act on the sheets on the folding-cylinder once for every full revolution of the folding-blade shaft, or, in other words, each folding-blade will act on said sheets once to every two revolutions of thefolding-cylinder, and thus the folding-blade will be inactive in passing by the folding-rollers at one time, but on the next revolution of the folding-cylinder will act to double two superposed sheets into the bite of the folding-rollers, as such sheets are released by their controlling-grippers.

The flying-cam shaft is provided at its outer end with a gear 74, which is driven by a spurgear on the folding-cylinder shaft.

I shall now briefly refer to the gearing in general by which the various parts of my web-folding machine are driven. At one end of the last-impression cylinder of the printing-press is a spur-gear 76, that meshes with an idler-gear 77, which meshes with another idler 78, that meshes with athird idler 79, that in turn is geared to a toothed wheel on a cross-shaft 81, mounted in the framework of the folding-machine. Said gear 80 meshes with a spur-gear S2'on one end of the folding-cylinder, and the said gear 82 meshes with a gear 83, which gear is fixed at one end of a shaft 84, that extends across the machine to the opposite side of the frame and terminates within the same. The gear 83 meshes with a gear 85 on the axis of one of the rotary cutters, and the gear 85 meshes with a similar gear 86 on the axis of the other of the rotary cutters. On the opposite end of the shaft 84 is a gear 87, that drives an idler 88, which drives another idler 89, that meshes with a third idler 90, which drives a gear 91 on one end of the creaser-shaft 92, on the opposite end of which shaft is fixed a gear 93, that meshes with a gear 94 on the companion creaser-shaft. The idler 89 drives a gear 95, which is on one end of the pastingroller 8. On the opposite end of said pasting-roller is another gear 96, that drives a like gear 97 on one end of the tape-roller 7. On the shaft 98, having the gears and 96, is a third gear 99, that meshes with an idler 100, which in turn drives a gear 101 on the shaft 102 of the tape-roller 9. On the opposite end of said shaft is a gear 103, that meshes with a gear 104 on the shaft 105 of the companion tape-roller 10. The pastingroller and paste-blade are preferably driven by suitable gearing from the shaft 84, but I have omitted such gearing for the purpose of simplifying the drawings.

The tucker-cylinder or tucker-disks are driven by the gear 82, meshing with a gear 106, fast on the shaft 38 of the tucker cylinder or disks.

There may be as many plates upon the platecylinders of the printing-press as may be desired. If their be eight plates on each platecylinder, the folding apparatus may be provided with a suitable slitting mechanism for dividing the web longitudinally and centrally, so that the various mechanisms above described may operate simultaneously to detach, collect, and fold side by side the sheets of said divided sections of the web; but, if desired, each plate-cylinder may be provided with only four plates and the longitudinal slitter therefore omitted. The folding apparatus may, if desired, operate so as not to superpose the sheets, but to fold or double every four-page paper into the bite of the folding-rollers as it comes into register therewith. To effect this mode of operation, it is only necessary to provide each folding-blad e shaft or axis with an additional folding-blade diametrically opposite the one shown and described, and to make the gripper-tripping cam 58 stationary, so that it will open each set of grippers every time a gripper is brought into operative relationship with said cam; but whether the machine be arranged to fold single sheets, as last described, or to fold only two superposed sheets at a time, it is essential that the rotary cutters, the web, and the folding-cylinder all travel at the same surface speed, that the periphery of the foldingcylinder be proportioned to the length of the sheets, as hereinbefore described, and that the grippers shall in each case grasp the head of the web before the detachment of the leading sheet therefrom. As far as the tucking device or devices are concerned, while they are especially important and advantageous in connection with the machine or apparatus as herein shown and described, they may, however, be used with equal or substantial advantage in other styles or types of foldingmachines to perform the same or substantially the same function or functions as they perform in the present machine, and hence I do not wish to be limited entirely to the use of said tucking device or devices in machines of the precise construction and mode of operation herein shown and described.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a folding-machine, the combination of a pair of rotary cutters traveling at the same surface speed as the printed web, a folding-cylinder whose circumference is exactly equal to a plurality of the sheets detached by said cutters from the web, a plurality of sets of grippers on said cylinder, a plurality of folding-blades on said'cylinder, and means cooperating with said folding-blades to take the sheets away from said cylinder in a doubled or folded condition.

2. In a folding-machine, the combination of a pair of rotary cutters, a folding-cylinder whose periphery is exactlyequal to a plurality of the sheets detached by said cutters, the said cylinder, the said cutters and the printed web all traveling at the same surface speed, a plurality of sets of grippers, a plurality of folding-blades alternating therewith on said cylinder, and a pair of folding-rollers cofiperating with said folding-blades.

3. In a folding-machine, the combination of a pair of rotary cutters, a folding-cylinder traveling at the same surface speed of said cutters and of the web, a plurality of sets of grippers on said cylinder, each set of which is adapted to seize the leading end of the web before detachment of the sheet, a plurality of folding-blades on said cylinder alternating with said sets of grippers, and a pair of folding-rollers; the combination and arrangement being such that each set of grippers takes the leading end of the web at the receiving-point and before it is detached by the cutters and such that every alternate set of grippers releases two superposed sheets to the pair of folding-rollers.

4. In a folding-machine, the combination of rotary cutters traveling at the same surface speed as the printed web, a folding-cylinder having mounted thereon three sets of grippers, and alternately-arranged foldingblades, the circumference of said cylinder being in length exactly equal to the length of three sheets of paper detached by the rotary cutters and traveling at the same speed as the web, a pair of folding-rollers, means for opening and closing a set of grippers so that it may take the head of a sheet at the receiving-point before it is detached from the web, means for opening every alternate set of grippers to release two superposed sheets to said foldingroller, and means for actuating the foldingblades so as to cause them to act alternately and double two superposed sheets into the bite of said folding-rollers when released by their associated grippers.

5. In a folding-machine, the combination of rotary cutters for detaching sheets from the body of the Web, a folding-cylinder traveling at the same surfacespeed as the web and having its periphery proportioned, as described, to the length of the sheets detached by said cutters, a plurality of sets of grippers on said cylinder, a tucking device having a cut-away or space to enable the grippers to close, and provided with a nose or projection for positively directing the leading end of the web in between the said grippers and the surface of the folding-cylinder.

6. The combination of a cylinder provided with vibratory grippers which clamp the sheet upon the periphery of the cylinder, a tucker for tucking the loose leading end of the web between the points of said grippers and the periphery of the cylinder and means disconnected from said tucker for feeding the web between the tucker and the gripper-cylinder.

7. In a folding-machine, the combination of a folding-cylinder provided with vibratory grippers which clasp the sheet upon the periphery of the cylinder, and a rotary tucking device adapted to tuck the leading end of the sheet between the grippers and the periphery of the cylinder.

8. In a folding-machine, the combination of a folding-cylinder having vibratory gripof a folding-cylinder traveling at the same surface speed as the web, vibratory grippers for clasping the sheetupon the periphery of the cylinder, mechanism for detaching sheets from the web, a tucking device adapted when the grippers are open to force the leading end of the web in between the grippers and the periphery of the cylinder, means disconnected from said tucking device for feeding the web between the tucking device and the folding-cylinder, and means for closing said grippers before detachment of the foremost sheet from the body of the web.

10. In a folding-machine, the combination of rotary cutters, a folding-cylinder whose periphery is exactly equal to a plurality of sheets detached by said cutters and whose periphery travels at the same surface speed as the web, a plurality of equidistant sets of grippers on said cylinder and which clasp the sheet upon the periphery of the cylinder, a plurality of folding-blades alternating with said sets of grippers, means for taking away the doubled or folded sheets from said cylinder when the folding-blades are operated, and a tucking device that pushes the leading end of the web positively into the space between the grippers and the periphery of the cylinder before the closure of said grippers and before the detachment of the foremost sheet from the body of the web.

11. In a folding-machine, the combination of the rotary cutters, the folding-cylinder having a plurality of sets of vibratory grippers which clasp the sheet upon the periphery of the cylinder and a plurality of foldingblades, a pair of folding-rollers, and a series of rotatory disks registering with the gripper-fingers and provided each with means for directing the leading end of the web in between the open grippers and the periphery of the folding-cylinder before detachment of the foremost sheet from the body of the web.

12. In a folding-machine, the combination of a folding-cylinder having Vibratory grippers which clasp the sheet upon the periphery of the cylinder, and a series of tuckingdisks adapted to force the leading end of a sheet into the grasp of said grippers upon the periphery of the cylinder.

13. In a folding-machine, the combination of a folding-cylinder having grippers, and a series of tucking-disks each having a cutaway or space for the operation of said griptively to break anyfibrous or ligamental eon- Signed at the borough of Manhattan, in the nection between the head of said web and city of New York, in the countyof New York It, the tail of the preceding sheet, in case said and State of New York, this 27th day of July, connection should. exist, and to also posi- I A. D. 1898.

tively force the leading end of the web into RALPH O. SEYMOUR. the space between said grippers and the periphery of the cylinder before the closure of said grippers.

\Vitnesses:

JACOB FELBEL, K. V. DONOVAN. 

